The Next Morning
by flooj9235
Summary: Cass wakes up in bed with Veronica after a night she can't remember. Hungover and afraid of what she may have revealed, she needs answers and just maybe an opportunity to confess. Femslash. Oneshot.


As she began waking up, Cass was aware of two things. First, everything ached, though her muscles were pleasantly sore from a long night of fun, and her head hurt thanks to the massive hangover she had. Second was the warm body pressed against hers. A ghost of a smile stretched across the redhead's face, ignoring her hangover for the time being and cuddling closer to the delicious warmth. At least, until she realized there were breasts attached to the body beside her.

"What the fuck?!" Cass yelped, jerking away and tumbling out of the bed, falling flat on her ass.

"Ugh. Cass, not so loud," Veronica muttered, rolling over and groaning.

Cass gawked at the scribe she'd been spooning. _What the hell was in that vodka?_ Her head started pounding and the caravaneer cringed, crawling toward the footlocker at the end of the bed. She stumbled across her own shirt and wrestled it on, banging her elbow on the bedframe and swearing loudly.

"Geez, Cass, shut up!" Veronica moaned, tossing a pillow in her direction. The scribe rolled over and grumbled, hissing a little when she tried to open her eyes. "Oh god, my head..."

"You're singin' to the choir," Cass grunted, feeling for pants blindly. Her arm was numb from her elbow to her pinky, and she tried to shake the tingling out of the limb. She was grateful her stomach was used to the amount of alcohol she liked to consume, and Cass wished her head would quit pounding and pick up on the habit as well. "Jesus fuck," she groaned again. "What the hell is going on here?" Cass didn't want an answer; she had a pretty damn good idea, but she wasn't so sure she wanted to believe it.

Veronica shifted, freezing in place. "Hey Cass," she began, sounding confused and more than a little nervous. "Why...?"

The caravaneer turned to find the scribe sitting up and staring at her naked ass.

"Well. That explains a lot," Veronica muttered, rubbing her forehead gingerly and sagging back against the pillows.

"It damn well does not!" Cass fired back, more irritable than she knew she should be. Her head was killing her and she wasn't terribly sure what to do. She'd made it a point never to sleep with people she worked and traded with; things were always awkward after a good roll in bed. Besides, the courier would kill her if she messed up the cohesion of their little group.

It didn't help that she'd been secretly nursing feelings for the woman still in bed, and waking up beside her with no memory of the night before worried Cass. She needed answers.

At last, she found some pants and pulled them on, crawling to her feet and leaving Veronica's room.

Six was sitting in the kitchen, having some breakfast. He shot her a conspiratorial grin. "Good morning. Sleep well?"

"Shut up," Cass groaned, heading for the refrigerator and getting a bottle of water. She drained half the bottle before walking over and sitting down heavily, scowling at the courier.

"Take it easy, Cass. Just teasing." Six finished his Sugar Bombs and tossed the spoon into the bowl where it clanged loudly.

Cass hissed at him. "Got half a mind to blow your brains out right now, Six."

He laughed, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet up on the table. "Been there, done that. Doesn't work so well for some reason."

Cass muttered something that passed for an answer and grew quiet, willing the pounding in her head to stop.

"So..." Six's voice was mischievous. "Did you have fun last night? 'Cause it sure sounded like it."

"What the fuck happened?" the caravaneer groaned. "All I know is I woke up in bed with Vee."

The courier paused long enough for Cass to open an eye and see him studying her uncertainly.

"You don't remember what you said to her?" His voice was suddenly hard, a stark contrast to the playful tone he'd had moments before.

Cass shook her head gingerly, taking another gulp of the water and nearly swallowing it wrong.

"Are you shitting me right now?" The courier looked stiff.

"Do I look like I'm playing?" Cass snapped. "I'm hungover as fuck, Six. Everything from the time we hit Gomorrah is a blur. I don't understand what happened, and if you know, you better tell me right quick, Mister." The conversation was taking a worrying turn, and Cass tried to pretend she wasn't scared of what she'd done.

Six frowned. "Cass... Jesus. You spent half the night staring at your drink, muttering about not having the balls to say anything. Then all of a sudden you've got her up against the wall and are kissing her." He rubbed a hand over his face. "Veronica tried to get you off her, telling you you were drunk off your ass, but... damn, Cass, you told her you loved her. Said she was beautiful and all sorts of flowery stuff."

"I did **what**?!" Cass groaned and held the cool bottle to her forehead. She'd been drunker than she thought if she'd spilled everything to Veronica.

Six sat up straight in his chair, his feet falling to the floor with a thud. "I don't... goddamn it, Rosie."

"Don't call-"

"Shut up and listen to me."

Cass sighed and opened her eyes, startled by the ferocity on Six's face.

"Don't you **dare** hurt her. Veronica's... she's tough, but she's been hurt before. Hurt bad." Six's eyes burned holes straight through Cass. He had always been protective of the scribe, but seeing him like this took the cake. "You know she's had a crush on you forever," Six reminded her. "If you were just playing with her feelings so you could have a good time, there's going to be a big problem. If I see so much as a frown from her and I find out you caused it, there's gonna be hell to pay."

"Are you threatenin' me?" Cass drawled out uncomfortably, rolling her water bottle between her hands.

"You better start remembering real fast what it was you said and whether or not you meant it," Six warned in a low voice. "She's going to want to know if it was you or the whiskey talking."

Cass swallowed, understanding why half the Legion was terrified of the courier. She gave the floor a sullen glance and nodded, feeling thoroughly reprimanded. "Got it."

Six studied her for a few more moments, giving her a curt nod. "Good. I'm heading over to McCarran for a while, probably won't be back until later on tonight." He rose from the table, stretching and giving the caravaneer another hard look.

The courier left a heavy silence behind and Cass chewed at her lip uneasily. Her feelings were meant to always be a secret. They'd come as a surprise to her; she had glanced at a woman or two, even fucked a couple, but it never went beyond that. There had been something about the warm, intelligent woman Veronica was that had wormed its way into her heart, though. Cass had been fighting a losing battle from the start.

"Well, fuck," Cass grumbled, taking too large a gulp of water and coughing a little. She'd messed up bad, then. She'd been told she had a silver tongue when she was drunk, and the thought that she could have tricked Veronica into sleeping with her made the redhead uneasy.

Bits and pieces were coming back to her, but nothing more than memories of gasped pleas and roaming hands and staggering across the casino to talk to the scribe. Cass could almost feel the ghost of a kiss on her lips and was suddenly desperate to remember anything and everything she could.

The harder she tried to pull things from her fuzzy memory, the more her head hurt. Cass was left with a headache worse than before and a fleeting feeling of loss at not remembering the night before.

Cass wanted a drink. Desperately. She could hear the scribe moving around in her room and Cass sighed. She got up and found some pre-war medicine, grabbing a water bottle and heading back to the room she'd vacated earlier that morning.

The caravaneer hesitated outside the door, listening for Veronica. With a curse under her breath, she lifted a fist and knocked gently. "Hey, Veronica?"

A muffled groan came from inside the room. "What?"

"Got some stuff for your headache."

After a moment, the door opened and Veronica gave Cass a calculating stare. Her eyes dropped to the pills in Cass' hand and then flicked back up to meet the redhead's. She looked somewhat surprised and took the medicine and water shyly. "Thanks."

The scribe started to close the door, but Cass jammed her shoulder against it, giving Veronica her best puppy dog eyes. "Can we talk?"

Veronica looked reluctant, but backed away from the door and let her in.

Cass walked into the bedroom, rubbing at the back of her neck uneasily.

"I'm sorry about last night," she offered. "Shouldn't have let my head get away from me like I did."

Veronica scoffed. "You sure seemed like you knew what you were doing."

Cass wasn't sure how to respond and stood there, feeling stupid.

"If you're just apologizing 'cause Six asked you to, it's okay. Don't feel obligated." Veronica took the pills and swallowed, making a face at the taste. "It's not like I don't know how to deal with this sort of thing." There was an underlying hurt in her voice, one that made Cass' heart sink.

"It's not because of him, Vee, I swear." If it had been any other situation, Cass would have hated the desperation in her own voice. "I'm sorry."

Veronica didn't say anything, moving over to the bed and laying down again, curling around a pillow and staring at the wall. Her back was to the redhead and Cass saw her shoulders heave with a sigh. "Cass, I... Do you even remember what you said? What we did?"

The redhead was at a loss, and seeing how subdued Veronica was hurt her somewhere deep inside. She didn't remember the last time someone had had such an effect on her, but before she could think on it more, Veronica spoke again.

"Did Six ever tell you about... Well, I guess he wouldn't. He's good with secrets." She laughed bitterly. "There was a girl, once. A long time ago. She... We were in love. I think so, anyway. She left me. You were the first one since her to tell me that you love me."

Part of Cass was outraged that Veronica had gone so long without anyone telling her how special she was. She was quite possibly the most intriguing, fantastic woman Cass had ever seen, and for no one to have told her... The rest of the redhead was somewhat uncomfortable with where the conversation was heading.

"And you said it while you were drunk." Veronica spat the words out bitterly. "I would've been okay with a night just for fun, but to play that card? God, Cass, that hurt."

"Play what? Bullshit," Cass interrupted. "I wasn't playin' anything."

Veronica was quiet for a moment, rolling over and giving the caravaneer a guarded look. "You were drunk off your ass."

Cass waved the comment away frustratedly. "I can handle my liquor, you know that. Wouldn't say anything I didn't mean."

Veronica's cheeks flushed and for a moment, she looked hopeful. The expression was replaced with doubt a few seconds later. "Everyone does. Besides-"

"Wouldja stop it?" Cass groaned, scrubbing a hand over her face. "I'm bad at talking about this shit. Had to get drunk enough to not care about the consequences." She hated how helpless she felt and how difficult it seemed to find the words for what she wanted to express. "I don't usually... You're special, y'know? Made me care about you."

Cass had raised her voice and it made her head hurt worse. She cringed and rubbed at her forehead, losing her train of thought for a moment. "Look, I... Last night wasn't exactly ideal, I get that. I just... never pictured myself doin' the whole 'meet someone' thing. Always figured I'd be alone, and then you came waltzin' into the Outpost with Six and... something changed."

Veronica started to say something but a glare from the redhead silenced her.

"I'm not sayin' I wanna settle down or nothin. And god **damn**, you drive me nuts sometimes." Cass chuckled, offering the scribe a sheepish grin. "But you're fuckin' amazing the rest of the time. I mean, Jesus, you're everything I like in a woman. Smart, sexy as hell, and tough."

"Cass..."

"I meant it, okay?" Cass said in a rush, sagging a little with the admission out in the open. "I may not really remember sayin' it, but I meant it. And I'm sober this time, if that makes any difference to ya."

Veronica was quiet, almost too quiet, and Cass was half-afraid she'd given the scribe a heart attack and killed her.

"C'mon," Cass joked weakly, "put that big mouth of yours to use." She hated feeling vulnerable, and the silence was only amplifying her anxiety.

"I thought you were straight," Veronica mumbled.

"Not exclusively." Cass offered Veronica a smile. "I've fucked a few women in my time."

The scribe frowned slightly. "But-"

"For fuck's sake," Cass groaned, crossing the room and crouching beside the scribe. "Didja want it last night, for more than just a drunk fuck?"

Veronica looked up at the redhead uncertainly through big brown eyes, nodding hesitantly.

"Me too." Cass dipped her head and caught Veronica's mouth in a sloppy kiss, craving more the moment she felt Veronica's lips moving against hers. Rather than deepen it and scare Veronica off, Cass kept it innocent, waiting until the scribe pulled away shyly.

The redhead offered Veronica a lazy smile, pleased when Veronica's hands fisted in her shirt and pulled her in for another kiss.

* * *

Six stepped out of the elevator warily, listening for any clues to what might have happened while he was gone. There was no noise from Veronica's room, but there was the clinking of bottles from the kitchen. The courier frowned, ready to yell at Cass. He dropped his gear and started for the kitchen, stopping when Veronica slipped out with two bottles of water in her hands.

She noticed him and grinned. "Hi!"

"Everything okay?" Six asked slowly, pausing at the glee on her face.

Veronica only beamed, giving the courier a wink and waggling her eyebrows suggestively before heading back to her room.

Six was silent, completely confused for a moment. It was only when he realized Veronica had been wearing Cass' plaid shirt that he started grinning, shaking his head and leaving the suite before he heard anything he wasn't supposed to.


End file.
